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Wes Welker denies report he tested positive for 'molly'; will sit first 4 games for Broncos

Wes Welker

Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker (83) stretches prior to an NFL preseason football game against the Houston Texans in Denver. The Broncos will be without Welker for the first four games of the season after the NFL said the receiver violated the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Normally, the league announces such violations on Monday. News of Welker's ban didn't come down until late Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, after the league offices had closed and the Broncos had already finished drawing up blueprints for their opener against Indianapolis, undoubtedly with Welker playing a prominent role.(AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File)

Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker on Wednesday expressed shock over a failed drug test that has resulted in a four-game suspension, denying that he knowingly took anything illegal.

Pro Football Talk reported Tuesday that Welker's failed test was for "Molly," the street name for MDMA, a more powerful form of the popular recreational drug ecstasy. Welker vehemently disputed that report in an interview with the Denver Post.

"I wouldn't have any idea where to get a Molly or what a Molly is," Welker said. "That's a joke. I don't do marijuana, I don't do drugs. I don't do any drugs."

Welker famously won $57,000 at the Kentucky Derby in May, and told the Denver Post "it's possible someone dropped something in his drink" while he was at Churchill Downs. The NFL does not publicly disclose which substance resulted in a player's positive test, but Welker remained adamant his infraction was not intentional.

"I want to make one thing abundantly clear: I would NEVER knowingly take a substance to gain a competitive advantage in any way," Welker wrote via email to the Denver Post Tuesday. "Anyone who has ever played a down with me, lifted a weight with me, even eaten a meal with me, knows that I focus purely on what I put in my body and on the hard work I put in year round to perform at the highest levels year-in and year-out."

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Welker, a five-time Pro Bowler, caught 73 passes for 778 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games for Denver last season. He suffered his third concussion in 10 months in the Broncos' Aug. 23 preseason game against Houston, but was expected to be cleared for Sunday's season-opener against Indianapolis prior to his suspension.

Welker will be eligible to return after the Broncos' Oct. 6 game against Arizona.